1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a smoker's package containing cigarettes or cigars.
2. Description of the prior art
It is well known that cigarettes or cigars are tightly packed in smoker's packages and it is thus always with difficulties that a user may withdraw the first cigarette or cigar. This is particularly the case with packed cigarettes. Once the first cigarette is removed, the remaining ones come out easily but it is always the first one that presents difficulties.
A search of the prior art has revealed the following several U.S. patents where solutions to the above problem have been proposed:
1,586,248: Komura, 1926 PA1 1,809,218: Riddell, 1931 PA1 1,819,427: Maisto, 1931 PA1 1,902,963: Lepage et al, 1933 PA1 2,129,887: Tamarin, 1938 PA1 2,258,170: Austin et al, 1941 PA1 2,347,381: West, 1944 PA1 2,849,154: Gartrell et al, 1958
The most relevant of these documents with respect to the present invention would appear to be U.S. Pat. No. 2,347,381 to West which discloses the use of a string disposed downwardly in the package along opposite sides thereof and across its bottom beneath three cigarettes to be removed. Because of its particular disposition and the fact that the first three cigarettes are attempted to be removed together, the stress that pulling on the string develops at the bottom of these three cigarettes would appear to result in a possible crushing of the lower ends of the cigarettes.
The arrangement is also complex from a manufacturing point of view.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,809,218 to Riddell is also pertinent inasmuch as it proposes a flexible tab at the top of the cigarette paper envelope. The weakness here would appear to be in that a tear line must be provided between the tab and the wrapper which could bring untimely removal of the tab if the tear line is too weak, before the first cigarette is removed. If the tear line is too strong, on the other hand, removal of the tab after the cigarette is pulled out may require crushing of the cigarette by the holding fingers as well as possible tearing of the paper envelope. From a manufacturer's stand point, this proposal complicates manufacture by having to add tabs to all envelopes where only one cigarette need actually be provided with it.
The other patents only have a remote interest in respect to the present invention.